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Senate committee fast-tracks transfer of state ombudsman to auditor, designates emergency
Summary
The Senate Families and Children Committee approved Senate Bill 85 to complete the transfer of the Office of the Ombudsman from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to the State Auditor's Office and codify access to the child-abuse database; the committee gave the bill a favorable report, 10-0.
Senate Bill 85, which completes the transfer of the state Office of the Ombudsman from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) to the State Auditor's Office and codifies the office's access to case records, received a favorable report from the Kentucky Senate Standing Committee on Families and Children by a recorded voice vote of 10-0.
The bill, presented by state Sen. Steve Meredith, advances statutory language to resolve disputes about the Auditor's access to the child abuse and adult abuse database and to clarify how complaints and confidentiality protections are handled after the transfer. "Can't do the work without it," Auditor Allison Ball said of access to the case database, describing earlier legal disputes and the mediation that led to interim access.
The nut graf: committee members said the bill aims to finish a multi-year transition begun after an interim task force recommended moving the ombudsman to the auditor to preserve independence and to remove a perceived conflict when the office remained within the cabinet. Committee members and the auditor said the measure clarifies record access and complaint handling so the ombudsman can function independently.
Ball told the committee the auditor's office previously encountered delays obtaining access to the iTWIS case database and that a Franklin Circuit mediation produced interim access. She asked the committee to codify those access arrangements and to add a confidentiality provision to protect whistleblowers and allow redaction of identifying information where appropriate.
Senators asked how the ombudsman would investigate and follow up on individual cases. Ball said the bill provides a more structured timeline and process similar to the auditor's internal procedures, including notification and response deadlines, and said the change will reduce the risk that complaints are lost when the cabinet previously acted as a handoff point.
The committee heard that the ombudsman move stems from recommendations made by a 2022 interim task force and earlier legislation. Sen. Meredith and Auditor Ball thanked CHFS staff and ombudsman personnel for working through implementation problems and for agreeing that the bill's language reflected the mediation outcome.
The committee recorded a unanimous favorable report, 10-0. The chair announced the bill "passes with favorable expression" after the roll call recorded aye votes and several members offered brief remarks of support that emphasized independence, streamlining, and monitoring implementation.
The bill will proceed to the full Senate for further consideration.
Votes at a glance: Senate Bill 85 — favorable report by the Senate Families and Children Committee; recorded tally announced as 10-0 in favor. No roll-call mover or seconder was specified on the transcript; the committee voice/statements recorded individual ayes and explanations for yes votes.
